Anti al-Qaeda militiamen among three killed in Iraq

Baghdad: At least three people including two anti-Al-Qaeda militiamen were killed after separate incidents of gun and bomb attacks in the north of Baghdad on Monday, security and medical officials said.

In the deadliest attack, two Sahwa fighters were killed when gunmen attacked their checkpoint in the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, 110 kilometres (70 miles) north of the Iraqi capital, police and a hospital doctor said.

The Sahwa are made up of Sunni Arab tribesmen who joined forces with the US military against Al-Qaeda from late 2006, helping to turn the tide of the insurgency.

And in the restive city of Mosul, 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed a retired army brigadier general and wounded a serving major general and three civilians, the army and a medic said.

The latest violence comes amid a spike in attacks, with Iraq suffering a wave of unrest in June that left at least 282 people dead, according to an AFP tally, although government figures said 131 Iraqis died.

While the violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, attacks remain common across the country.